RISMEDIA, March 4, 2010—When the going gets tough, it is crucial to focus on things that have brought you success in the past- rather than the things you have no control over. Here, Bob Tenace, Owner/President, Century 21 Tenace Realty in South Florida discusses the importance of staying positive in today’s challenging market.
Bob Tenace
Owner/President
Century 21 Tenace Realty
South Florida
Region served: South Florida, specifically Broward and Palm Beach counties
Years in real estate: 30
Number of offices: 2
Number of agents: 200
Average sales price: $160,000
Average time on market: 120 days
Setting goals: Every December, our agents go through a goal workshop during which everyone lays out their plans and goals for the following year. We work with each of our agents on a monthly basis to help them stay on track in order to achieve their goals.
How are you facing the market’s biggest challenges? The overall economic picture in South Florida is one of our biggest challenges due to the level of unemployment we are experiencing, as well as a lack of confidence in the real estate market. In order to take on these challenges, we have stopped worrying about things that are beyond our control and instead focus on the things that have kept us successful for the past 30 years.
What are some of your best practices in terms of communicating with your staff and clients?
It is important that our agents communicate with their clients through the type of communication the client prefers—text message, e-mail or phone calls. Our agents all have smartphones, so they are able to stay in touch through various forms of communication. Internally, we send a weekly e-mail to our agents reminding them what is going on during the week. Our sales meetings are an additional way that we all stay in touch and are aware of what is happening within the company as well as the marketplace.
What are some of your best online marketing strategies?
Last year we re-launched our website to provide consumers with as much information in one place as possible. Within the past few years, an increasing amount of our marketing effort has been allocated toward the Internet since that is where prospective buyers are beginning their search for a home. We include virtual tours on each of our listings and utilize Leadrouter, a management system provided through CENTURY 21® that allows our managers to oversee the leads coming in as well as agents’ responses. The Internet has changed the way customers search for homes, and agents must prospect differently now in order to take advantage of it.
What is essential to your company’s continued success?
Our company has always been known as a training organization for people that want to have a career in real estate. In addition to providing our agents with the tools and guidance they need to have a successful career, our longevity and reputation for providing excellent service is another key factor to our success over the years.
